Gobi March (Mongolia)

Credit : RacingThePlanet
 After a Week of Extremes, the Gobi March 2015 Concludes with an All-American podium and All-Female Afghan Ultramarathon Team Making History 
 [7 June 2015, Xinjiang, China] — An epic 12th edition of the Gobi March has drawn to a close in China’s far north eastern province of Xinjiang. It was a race of extremes with weather veering from a snow blizzard to driving rain, searing heat and a sand storm – with the final stage of the race cut short due to the unexpected weather conditions. 
Nonetheless, it proved to be an historic race. 
 Adam Kimble of the United States emerged as the overall winner, completing the course in a time of 25:39:33. The 28-year old was taking on his first 4 Deserts race here in China. “It was incredible,” he said. “I am so happy that I met so many life long friends. The varied landscape and terrain was incredible.” 
 Daphne Tsalli took 1st place in the women’s category. The Greek / Norwegian-competitor who is based in the United Kingdom finished in a time of 32:07:05 and in 12th place overall. “This was my first race so I didn’t expect to win,” she said. “Thank you to the doctors for taking care of me. Thank you to the volunteers for helping me. Thank you to my running partner for supporting me and being there for me the whole race." 
 Taking 2nd place overall was Ralph Crowley of the United States, just 5 minutes behind the leader. Ralph also came 2nd in The Last Desert (Antarctica) in 2014. “The Gobi threw everything at us,” said the 30-year old. Third place went to Kyle McCoy, a former solider with the US Army. This was an historic race as for the first time three American competitors took the top three places on the podium. 
 The 2nd placed woman was Song Jeong Mi of South Korea, who came in 17th place overall. “I wasn’t able to complete the Sahara Race (Jordan) last year because of an injury,” she explained. “So I came to the Gobi March hoping to at least finish and beat my personal best.” 
 Six teams took part in this year’s race with China’s Xiamen University emerging as the champions, putting in an astonishing performance and coming in 35th place overall. The team consists of Zhan Youyi, Liang Xinde, Chen Yuzeng, Wang Zhongwen and Yu Guandi. “The win isn’t so important,” said team captain Zhan Youyi. “We are like sisters and brothers and we made it through the race together and that’s the most important part.” 
 It was a race of extremes this past week with competitors facing an astonishing range of weather in the expanses of the Gobi Desert outside Hami in Xinjiang Province. The week opened with snowfall, followed by driving rain, then searing heat and finally finishing with a sand storm – prompting organizers to complete the race a day early. 
 Nonetheless, it was an historic week that saw some compelling victories. Team Asma’i, the first all-female ultramarathon team from Afghanistan completed the course—making history and proving their great resilience having encountered numerous obstacles to train in the lead-up to the race. There was also victory for the three blind competitors who took on the race—Wang Qi of China, Takahiro Muraki of Japan and Vladmi dos Santos of Brazil. 
 The competitors spent the week racing through a great variety of landscapes, from sand dunes to high pastures, a mountain pass, alpine lands dotted with yurts and flat out Gobi. Competitors were able to interact with the local communities who populate this area, staying in a Kazak villages one night and yurts on another. 
 “This was a truly humbling edition of the Gobi March,” said Riitta Hanninen, Event Director of the Gobi March. “Seeing competitors like the all-women team from Afghanistan and the three blind competitors tackle this challenge and overcome it with such courage, not to mention the entire field of competitors taking on such an astonishing diversity of weather extremes, was incredibly inspiring. It’s always a great honor to return to Xinjiang Province and work with the communities here—and we look forward to returning in 2016 for our 50th race.” 

After a Week of Extremes, the Gobi March 2015 Concludes

Credit : www.4deserts.com / Zandy Mangold
 The Spanish double Olympian, Jose Manuel ‘Chema’ Martinez Fernandez, won the Gobi March 2014 today, arriving at the finish line by the spectacular shores of Xinjiang’s Sayram Lake. 
 “I was so tired at camp [this morning],” said the 42-year-old. “I was cold and exhausted, but now I feel great!” This is the first 4 Deserts win for the legendary long-distance athlete—he took on the Sahara Race (Jordan) earlier this year and earned second place, but effortlessly took the gold medal here in China sustaining his strong lead throughout the six-day race in 25:56:34. 
Italy’s Sebastiano Arlotta Tarino won the silver medal with a time of 28:59:00. “This has been a very different experience for me as a sportsman and as an individual,” said the 25-year-old. “We were competing with each other, but we also support and motivate each other—I enjoyed this part the most.” 
Nicholas Mead of the United Kingdom took third overall with a time of 30:08:42. 
Credit : www.4deserts.com / Zandy Mangold
 Isis Breiter of Mexico emerged as the champion of the women’s division, completing the course with a time of 37:02:06 and coming in 18th overall position. Having finished as the 6th woman in the Sahara Race (Jordan) earlier this year, she was also reveling in her first win. 
 “I feel good,” said the 31-year-old as she arrived at the finish line. “The best part was coming up the hill to Checkpoint 7 [on Stage 5] and seeing the beautiful Lake Sayram in the distance. It made the difficulty of climbing the hill worth it. I trained hard for this, a lot of mountain training at over 3,000 meters.” 
 Danish competitor Lene Larson earned the silver medal in the women’s division with a time of 40:14:42, and in third position was South Korea’s Yang Yujin in 42:54:56. 
 In the team division, the members of Team Esquel of China were celebrating their win. The three-man team includes Luo Pengwu, Zhou Zhijun and Chen Hui. “We pushed ourselves hard, to the limit,” said Chen Hui, a superintendent at the Esquel Group based in Foshan City. “It’s really good we finished together. We learned a lot. The race was challenging.” 
Credit : www.4deserts.com / Zandy Mangold
 The 11th edition of the Gobi March took place in Bortala, Xinjiang, one of the most culturally diverse regions of China’s far northwest, in the highlight plateaus of the Gobi Desert. 
 “We were happy to return to this amazing section of the Gobi for a second year running,” said Samantha Fanshawe, President of Events of the 4 Deserts Race Series. “It’s such a diverse region culturally, and competitors were able to stay in traditional yurts and witness up close the lives of the ethnic Mongol, Kazakh and Uyghur minorities. Competing against the backdrop of these snowcapped mountains and alpine forests, and finishing at Lake Sayram was very special.” 
 The weather was fair for much of the race apart from the third day, where the race was shortened and diverted due to hail and snow on the higher sections of the course (the lost kilometers were then added the following day). A total of 109 competitors from 41 countries engaged in the race—and 31 competitors have qualified for The Last Desert (Antarctica), which takes place this November. 
Credit : www.4deserts.com / Zandy Mangold
 Yoshiro Sato, a 34-year-old engineer from Japan, has joined the 4 Deserts Club—having now completed all 4 Deserts races. He says his next challenge is to start all over again and attempt it a second time. Many competitors are taking on the 4 Deserts Grand Slam—and are now halfway through their odyssey of 1,000 kilometers in one calendar year. Some have just signed on for the challenge, such as Huynh Linh of Canada, who was inspired to take on all of the 4 Deserts races after completing the Sahara Race earlier in the year. The next stop for the Grand Slam contenders is Chile for the Atacama Crossing on 5 October. 

Spanish Double Olympian Conquers Gobi March 2014

 Credit : Gobi March 
 A remarkable race through one of the most culturally-diverse regions of China’s far northwest gets underway on June 1st as the Gobi March takes to the highest plateaus of the Gobi Desert. 
 The 11th edition of the world-renowned, 250-kilometer rough country footrace will see competitors from 41 countries gathering at the starting line in Bortala region of the Western province of Xinjiang on Sunday, 1 June. With the snow-capped Altai Mountains as their backdrop, they will set out on a varied course through grasslands, over dusty and stony desert, farmlands, riverbeds, and deep into mountain alpine valleys during the six-stage course. Racing at a minimum of 1,000 meters throughout, they will climb up to 2,800 meters on the epic fifth stage and will carry all their belongings and food throughout, only given a place in a tent (or Yurt) to sleep along the way and water to nourish them. 
 The strongest contender for this year’s race is the double-Olympian Jose Manuel “Chema” Martinez Fernandez of Spain, who came in second place at the Sahara Race (Jordan) earlier this year in his first 4 Deserts race. The 42-year old is a highly-acclaimed athlete who finished ninth in the 10,000 meter distance of the 2004 Athens Olympics and 16th in the marathon at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and has a long list of accolades to his name, including a win at the 2008 Madrid Marathon. 
 Other notable competitors include Paul Borlinha of Canada who is aiming to be only the third person in the world ever to complete the 4 Deserts Grand Slam (all four races in one calendar year) in addition to the 2015 Roving Race—held in Madagascar at the end of August. 
 With women representing 20% of the field there are some strong performances expected. Isis Breiter from Mexico comes to her second 4 Deserts Race having finished as the 6th woman in the Sahara Race (Jordan) earlier this year. Mika Kuma, 52, from Japan was 2nd across the line in the Sahara Race 2009 where she competed as a team. 
 “This year’s race has attracted competitors and volunteers from a great range of countries, some that have rarely been represented before, such as Serbia, Romania, Poland, Kazakhstan, the Cayman Islands and Ethiopia” says President of the 4 Deserts Race Series, Samantha Fanshawe. “They will have the chance to race through the great kaleidoscope of cultures that makes up this intriguing Chinese region that shares its border with Kazakhstan. As they race through Mongolian settlements, along cable bridges and past a memorial to Genghis Khan—they will be able to witness up close the lives of the ethnic Mongol, Kazakh and Uyghur minorities of this storied region. “ 
 Adding to the theme of rich cultural diversity is the benefiting charity of this year’s race, the Esquel- RacingThePlanet Scholarship Programme. The seven-year project was launched at the tenth anniversary of the Gobi March last year and is funding ten female, Uyghur students to complete their final three years of high school and two years of university. One such student is Jupaer Tuhaerbaike, an 18-year old of Kazak-ethnicity who has just finished her second year of high school with funding from the initiative. “As local traditions go, girls don’t have to go to school, their mission is to take care of the whole family,” she explains. “I cherish this chance and am studying hard to realize my dream of studying in university.” 
 As RacingThePlanet founder, Mary Gadams explains: “The most meaningful part of the Esquel- RacingThePlanet Scholarship Programme is the empowerment that it gives to bright and ambitious young women which could have a major positive impact on Xinjiang and China in the future. We are thrilled to be offering such a long-term commitment to these students. We look forward to meeting some of these students at the 11th edition of the Gobi March, which is one of the most culturally-diverse courses for the race." 

A Culturally Diverse Gobi March Kicks Off in Far-Western China

 The world-renowned Gobi March celebrates its 10th anniversary this June with a striking new course through one of China’s most fabled regions. Kicking off on Sunday, 2 June in the northwestern province of Xinjiang, competitors will embark on a 250-kilometer course through lands once ruled by Genghis Khan, an emperor simultaneously revered and feared by populations in Central Asia and China. 
 With the snow-capped Altai Mountains as their backdrop, 155 competitors will weave through alpine grasslands, dry riverbeds, mountain valleys, high plateaus and local villages in the Bortala Mongol and Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefectures. They will carry all of their own equipment and sleep in tents along the route. The course, which includes more elevation changes than in years past, starts at an altitude of 500 meters and climbs to 2,800 meters on the fifth day in the seven- day course. 
 Credit : RacingThePlanet 
 Of the competitors taking part this year, the greatest numbers hail from Hong Kong and China, with both countries sending 23 participants to the 10th anniversary course. This is the highest number of Chinese competitors to ever participate in the history of 4 Deserts events, a revealing insight into the growing popularity of endurance events in mainland China. Among the Chinese competitors is Jin Feibao (49), called “one of modern China’s greatest adventurers,” a mountain climber who has completed the Exporers Grand Slam (summiting the Highest mountain on every continent and reaching both the North and South Poles), and competitor Xing Bo (41) who has competed in three back-to-back 4 Deserts events at the Sahara Race (Egypt) 2012, the Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2013 and the Gobi March (China) 2013 on his way to join the 4 Deserts Club. 
 Top contenders for this year’s race include Italy’s Stefano Gregoretti (38) who placed second overall at RacingThePlanet: Nepal 2012 and American competitor Joel Meredith (39) who placed seventh overall at the Sahara Race 2012. Also contending for a top spot is 4 Deserts newcomer Davide Ugolini (39) of Italy. In the women’s category, the United Kingdom’s Joanna Eades (44) returns to the field after placing as the fourth female at RacingThePlanet: Australia 2010 and fifth female at RacingThePlanet: Namibia 2009. 
 Competitors will be setting out from a starting line just north of the city of Bole—on a course through the Mysterious Rock Valley and Mongolian settlements, along cable bridges with views of the nearby Tian Shan snow peaks and a memorial to Genghis Khan. The race also provides opportunities to witness the daily lives of the Mongol, Kazakh and Uyghur minorities of the region. 
 The anniversary race is also the setting for an inspiring, new charitable program. After many years of partnership with the Esquel-Y.L. Yang Education Foundation and its scholarship fund, RacingThePlanet and Esquel are now launching the Esquel-RacingThePlanet Scholarship Program. The 10-year program will provide much-needed educational costs for local children in the Xinjiang province. The scholarship will support and fund ten Uygur students through their schooling—from the first year of high school all the way through university graduation. 

Celebrating the Ten Year Anniversary of the Gobi March

 By Rachel Jacqueline 
 After more than seven years of setting courses for RacingThePlanet, Pierre Beguin thought he had seen it all. But as he and event director Riitta Hanninen descended into Mysterious Rock Valley while plotting the 2013 Gobi March course, they knew they were about to set a new standard in the 4 Deserts series. 
  Credit : RacingThePlanet 
 “It’s full of bizarre rock formations as far as the eye can see,” Riitta explains of the visual feast that awaits competitors in China’s northwestern Xinjiang Province, best known as the home of Mongol empire leader Genghis Khan. 
 The move to Bortala Mongol and Yili Kazakh Autonomous Prefectures this year was inspired by the ten-year anniversary of the race. “We decided to find a different course to celebrate,” she says. The region, a secret of long-term local manager Medina who lives and works near there, was selected for its remoteness and untouched beauty. 
 Indeed, the mysterious valley is just one of the many highlights of the course this year. Starting at the foot of the Altai Mountains, the seven-day adventure weaves its way 
through the Tian Shan mountain region (literally "heavenly mountains”), with almost celestial views of Lake Sayram at 2070 metres elevation along the way. 
  Credit : RacingThePlanet 
 While the Gobi March desert races have become known for offering a cultural experience amongst the Mongol, Uyghur and Kazakh minority groups that live there, the isolated location this year promises even more unique insight. Sharing an international border with Kazakhstan to the north and west, the region has become well known for the colorful culture of the remote villages. “People in this part of the province don’t get to see visitors often, especially international visitors,” says Riitta. 
 Along the 250 kilometre / 155 mile journey, competitors can expect anything from grasslands, Gobi (a mixture of dusty and stony desert), farmlands, dirt tracks, riverbeds, rolling hills, mountain valleys, plains and plateaus. “With a landscape that is positively alpine and a climate to match, competitors are going to have a stunning experience,” she says. 
With sensory and cultural overload promised along a fresh course, it seems the tenth year of the race will be bigger and better than ever before. 
 The 10th edition of Gobi March starts on the 2nd of June 2013 and along with the Atacama Crossing (Chile), Sahara Race (Egypt) and The Last Desert (Antarctica) they make up the 4 Deserts Series. To register for the event complete an online application at www.4deserts.com/registration or for more information, email us at info@racingtheplanet.com. 

A Magical New Course Set to Celebrate 10 Years of the Gobi March

 Spain’s Vicente Garcia Beneito, 36, won the Gobi March 2012, earning his second-straight 4 Deserts victory in a time of 23:12:33. Garcia Beneito, winner of the Atacama Crossing 2012, never once relinquished his lead during the week-long, 250-km race. 
  Credit : Gobi MarchIn the highly competitive women’s competition, German Anne-Marie Flammersfeld, 31, won her second-straight women’s event, leading the Gobi March 2012 from Stage 1 through the finish line in a time of 27:53:21. Flammersfeld finished fourth overall. 
 “I am so happy,” said Garcia Beneito, at the finish line at a village school outside of Kashkari. “Some moments were very difficult but it was good I had my wife Mariana here, so it gave me hope. The most difficult day was the first day because the pack was the heaviest. Stage 4 was my favourite, but also the finale was spectacular with all the children. It made me remember my son.” 
 Flammersfeld was equally thrilled with her achievement. 
 “I’m feeling great, no pain,” Flammersfeld said. “Just the stomach had some problems. I felt very good during this whole race. The difference from the Atacama Crossing was that there I was running with a lot of people and here I went at my own pace. On my own, I go faster.” 
  Credit : Gobi MarchThe ninth edition of one of the world’s most popular endurance races was held in the Kashgar region of China’s farwest province of Xinjiang. Of the 160 starters, 145 competitors crossed the finish line. 
 Said RacingThePlanet CEO and founder Mary Gadams: “I’m extremely proud and impressed of the level of competition in the Gobi March 2012, both with our many former winners and competitors as well as the many competitors making their RacingThePlanet debuts. I would like to congratulate Vicente and Anne-Marie, whose strength and talent were once again on display as they won every stage this week.” 
 The Gobi March 2012 supported the Esquel-Y.L. Yang Foundation. Since 2005, RacingThePlanet has worked with the foundation to donate sporting equipment and over 8,200 books to schools along the route of the Gobi March. 
 A truly international event, competitors representing six different nationalities comprised the top- three overall and top-three women. 
  Credit : Gobi MarchSecond overall was first time 4 Deserts competitor Mo N. Foustok of Saudi Arabia, 30, while third was France’s Philippe Gatta, 33. The strong women’s field saw Canadian Stephanie Case, 29, finish second behind Flammersfeld (11th overall) and Beijing-based Belgian Virginie Goethals, 36, the third-fastest woman (16th overall). The Shanghai-based Team STC, which includes Zhang Ling, 32, Pei Jun, 40, Tina Wailing, 51 and Wei Liang gang, won the team competition. 
 In total, 42 different nationalities were represented, with a noticeable increase in the number of competitors from China, India, South America and the Middle East, speaking to the global growth of the sport. 
 ￼￼Said Hong Kong-based American Robert Hutchinson, who at 70 is the oldest competitor in the Gobi March 2012, as he crossed the finish line: “There is nothing to it.” 
  Credit : Gobi MarchFor many competitors, the Gobi March 2012 was less about the ranking than about the experience. 
 “It’s been really emotional,” said Hong Kong-based Briton Emily Woodland, who was the fourth- fastest woman. “It’s not really about the finish line; it’s about the whole week and the people you meet.” 
 American Pamela Rickard, 50, who is running in support of RunWell, said: “I can’t even describe how I feel right now. I have run in many places but this exceeds all experiences and expectations.” 
 Indian Arvind Sirohi, 44, who was one of the final competitors to complete the Gobi March 2012 said: “This has been truly a life changing experience.” 

Second-straight victories for Garcia Beneito and Flammersfeld in stunning Gobi March 2012

  Credit : RacingThePlanet31 May 2012 Hong Kong – The world’s most well-known multi-stage footrace, the Gobi March 2012, will see 42 countries represented, including a record number of participants from across Asia. From Sunday, 10 June through Saturday, 16 June 2012, 163 competitors will participate in the six-stage, 250-kilometer self-supported footrace across the Gobi Desert as the Gobi March returns to the Kashgar region for the ninth edition of the event. 
 The Gobi March 2012 sees three women’s champions from recent RacingThePlanet events taking part, making the women’s race the most competitive ever. 
 Germany’s Anne-Marie Flammersfeld, 33, won this year’s Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2012, while Nahila Hernandez San Juan of Mexico, 37, was the quickest woman in the Sahara Race (Egypt) 2011. With Canadian Stephanie Case, 29, women’s champion of RacingThePlanet: Nepal 2011, also competing, the winners of the last three RacingThePlanet events, excluding May’s RacingThePlanet: Jordan 2012, will vie for the title in the Gobi March 2012. Spain’s Vicente Juan Garcia Beneito, 36, who was the overall champion of the Atacama Crossing (Chile) 2012, is the favorite to win the men’s category. 
  Credit : RacingThePlanetWhile experience in the 4 Deserts Series of 250-kilometer, week-long races over rough terrain is a definite asset, over 60 per cent of competitors will make their RacingThePlanet debut in the Gobi March. Forty-four competitors from Greater China, including 25 from Hong Kong and 17 from Mainland China, will take part on their home terrain, further demonstrating the growth of endurance running events in the region. 
 For the first time since 2009, the race returns to the Kashgar region, with the historically and culturally rich city of Kashgar as the event’s base. Among the scenic highlights is Shipton’s Arch, known locally as Heaven’s Gate, a natural arch taller than the Empire State Building. It took National Geographic years to find the fabled arch, which was documented in Eric Shipton’s memoirs of life in the far west of China. The course will also take competitors through local Uyghur villages, where residents have rarely been visited by outsiders. 
  Credit : RacingThePlanetSays RacingThePlanet founder Mary Gadams: “The Gobi March 2012 is shaping up to be an incredibly competitive race in the women’s competition with three recent champions taking part. I’m especially excited to see so many countries represented with a large number from Greater China and across Asia as the sport continues to develop at a rapid pace.” 
 The annual Gobi March is a self-supported race. With the exception of water and a place in a tent, competitors are required to carry all of their equipment, supplies and food for the duration of the race. 
 Three teams will compete in the Gobi March 2012, including Team Esquel, a three-person squad from China, including one participant from Xinjiang province; Team STC, a four-member triathlon team based in Shanghai; and Team JDRF Born to Run from Australia, whose five members are aiming to complete the 4 Deserts Grand Slam in 2012. 
 In total, 18 competitors are in the hunt for the 4 Deserts Grand Slam – completing the Atacama Crossing, the Gobi March, October’s Sahara Race and The Last Desert in Antarctica all within a single calendar year. In addition to Team JDRF Born to Run and Atacama Crossing champions ￼￼Flammersfeld and Garcia Beneito, competitors such as Indian psychologist Shrimathi Swaminathan and French journalist Cecile Bertin are aiming for to reach the rare achievement. American student, James Gaston, 21, is extending the challenge to complete all 1,250 kilometers of RacingThePlanet events in 2012 – only two people have achieved this to-date. He is competing with his sister, Tara Gaston. 
 The Gobi March will again support the Esquel Y.L. Yang Education Fund through various fundraising activities in the local area, including providing a computer lab for one of the local schools. 

News: Gobi March (Mongolia)

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